King of the Road

1989 hardcover. Appears unread and in great condition just some minor wear on the dust cover.  This is a novel that serves as a deeply personal tribute to Hemphill's own father, who spent his life working as a long-haul truck driver. The story follows Jake Hawkins, a 69-year-old retired, alcoholic trucker from Birmingham, Alabama, who has been away from his beloved big rig for three years. Alongside his 40-ish son, Jake embarks on a raw, nostalgic journey back out onto the open highway. At its heart, the novel functions as an intense, probing study of a highly complex family dynamic. It tracks how a son attempts to understand and come to terms with his larger-than-life, deeply flawed father. Hemphill lovingly captures the gritty, dusty reality of early American trucking culture. He uses the highway landscape to look back at an independent, fading way of life that was rapidly disappearing. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.